I spend most of my time thinking about new and upcoming technology, but sometimes, it’s nice to reflect. The social enterprise is big news this week, and I’m glad this idea’s time has finally come. If you read here, you’ll know we were early proponents of socializing work, launching the IdeaFactory, which became Oracle Connect, and Oracle Mix in 2007.
Back then, I spent loads of time talking to people about social and encouraging them to try out Connect and LinkedIn, maybe Facebook. Twitter was a just punchline then, or to many, a complete unknown.
I remember having a chat with the guys about supporting Connect. There are no P1 issues, we all agreed; if the company’s social network goes down, it’s not the end of the World.
Today, social is a known quantity in people’s personal lives, so why shouldn’t it be woven into work? Thousands of people use Connect and OraTweet each day to do work here at Oracle. When I respond to enhancement requests for Connect, I always mention that it’s a side project for us, and that we’re not developing it, only keeping it up and running.
This sometimes causes worry. What happens if Connect is decommissioned, will some team take up the reins, what about ongoing support? People have invested in Connect and find it valuable. So, they naturally want some assurance that it will continue to exist.
So, social is valuable to work, even though I’ve been looking ahead to other shiny objects for years.
I’m glad its time has come. Now, what’s next?
